And the newest thing to add to Murphy’s list of obsessions and things he barks at for no apparent reason: Jeff.

Who is Jeff? Jeff is an older gentleman who walks around our neighborhood, and he’s actually really friendly. Usually, I just say ”˜hi’ to people who Murphy and I encounter on our afternoon walks, but I almost always stop and chat with Jeff for a few minutes. He’s honestly one of the nicest and happiest guys I have ever met. But, Murphy, for some reason, does not like him. He’ll recognize Jeff in the distance and immediately start barking””but it’s not excited, happy barking. It’s anxious, upset barking. The fur on Murphy’s back even stands up, which only happens when he’s really freaked out.

I’m so embarrassed every time we see Jeff on our walks, but, thankfully, he finds Murphy’s behavior amusing and tries to win the pug over every time we see him. Jeff tries to make friends with Murphy by letting him sniff him and then trying to pet him. So far, we haven’t had much success (still lots of barking), but we’ll try again the next time we see him.

I really don’t understand my dog sometimes. He’s full of doggie paradoxes. He’s a therapy dog, who truly loves everyone he meets, but he just isn’t a fan of Jeff. I don’t get it. Maybe he knows something about Jeff that we don’t? Evil spirits? Dead bodies in his basement?